1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for rinsing materials or articles to eliminate deposits sticking on the surfaces thereof and remove humidity therefrom with vapor generated by heating volatile solvent, such as isopropyl-alcohol, trichroric-ethylene, etc. 2. Prior Art
An apparatus for eliminating deposits attached on the surfaces of articles and materials to be rinsed and remove humidity therefrom in which rinsing solvent stored in the lower portion of a rinsing chamber is heated to evaporate, and in the chamber which is filled with vapor materials and/or articles to be rinsed are loaded has been well known. In the afore-mentioned apparatus vapor produced by heating the solvent is cooled by contacting with the materials or the articles which are lower temperature than that of vapor itself. As described the above, vapor is dewed, then rinsing is carried out.
When vapor of the solvent is coagulated, temperature of the materials to be rinsed rises by heat generated when vapor of the solvent is condensated, and after its having reached to saturation temperature of the vapor, it is no longer any merit to hold the vapor in the chamber, for it results in deterioration of rinsing effect and time loss. Accordingly, to improve rinsing efficiency it is required to grasp an ending point of rinsing operation from situation of the inside of the chamber and let the operation finish at an appropriate time.
However, in conventional the apparatus for rinsing materials etc. has been only an apparatus that measures merely whether or not temperature of the solvent reaches to the boiling point, so that it has been impossible to know the above mentioned ending point exactly, which results in consuming unnecessary long rinsing time or lacking in rinsing time to the contrary. Particularly, those materials which are loaded in the rinsing chamber are, according to their sizes, numbers, etc., different in thermal capacities from one another, that is, if thermal capacity is larger, longer rinsing time is required, and if it is smaller, only shorter rinsing time is necessary. However, if a rinsing apparatus is automated without having grasped each thermal capacity of the respective materials, to prevent each of the materials from being insufficient in the rinsing condition, the materials are liable to be set for unnecessary long time in the condition, which results in increasing running cost for the rinsing process.
In addition, as having been performed in the conventional apparatus, merely by measuring temperature of the solvent, it is impossible to know whether or not the chamber is actually filled with vapor of the solvent. Accordingly, though vapor of the solvent is being insufficient in the chamber, there may occur missing operation cases in which materials to be rinsed are overloaded in the chamber. Because of the missing operation, unevenness rinsed marks (stripes or lines, for example) are generated on the surface of the material. However, in the conventional apparatus there is inconvenience that until the rinsing operation finishes, the fact that vapor of the solvent was insufficient in the chamber can not be found.